Help Support Sexual Violence Survivors in NoCo

Why I fight, and why SAVA means so much to me, is not an easy answer.

I am a survivor of sexual assault. Years later, I became the guardian of my two nieces after they, too, survived abuse. One phone call changed everything — “Can you take them?” I was their last option before they were split into foster care. Of course, I said yes.

They came to me with nothing but the clothes on their backs — no toothbrushes, no backpacks, no comfort, no safety. The social worker dropped them off, handed me a business card, and left. No questions. No guidance. No follow-up. Just two terrified little girls crying on a bed.

For days, I called and called — leaving voicemails, sending emails, and begging for someone to care. No one came. Weeks passed, then months, before I heard a word. That's when I realized how many children are lost in the system — how many survivors never get a chance to heal, to be heard, or to feel safe again.

That's why I serve on the Board of Directors for the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA) Center. Because SAVA steps in where the system too often fails. SAVA gives survivors — children, teens, and adults — a voice, a safe space, and the tools to begin rebuilding. They provide therapy, crisis response, prevention education, and advocacy when it's needed most.

If organizations like SAVA had been there for my nieces from the start — with early intervention, trauma-informed therapy, and education — their healing could have begun so much sooner. That's why this work matters.

On Colorado Gives Day, every donation helps make that healing possible. Every dollar gives a survivor hope. Every dollar says, “You’re not alone.”

I’m not sharing my story for sympathy. I’m sharing it because it’s real — and because too many families live it in silence. I’ll never stop fighting for them, and I’m asking you to stand beside me.

Please, if you can, donate, share, and speak up. Together, we can make sure no survivor ever feels forgotten.